Putin Doubles Down on Ukraine --- Leader looks to firm Russia's ties to China, Iran, North Korea -- and get more aid

"Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as Russia's president for another six-year term, and is now focused squarely on the conflict in Ukraine -- and the alliances he needs to secure a victory.

Since the conflict's start two years ago, Putin has nurtured close relationships with a host of countries who share his wariness of the U.S. and the West. Iran has provided missiles and drones. North Korea has sent ammunition and other weapons.

In Africa, Putin's efforts to cast himself as a defender of traditional religious values have won him admirers across a slice of nations that used to look to the West, while the Russian leader's media handlers played up the positive response he received during a tour in December of the Middle East, where he tried to drive a wedge between Arab nations and the U.S. over the war in Gaza.

No relationship, however, is closer than the one with China. There are signs the two countries' interests will align more tightly after Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier declared that their relationship would have "no limits."

In his inauguration address at the Grand Kremlin Palace on Tuesday, Putin returned to his familiar theme of creating what he called a multipolar world order, which could challenge the influence of the West.

"We have been and will be open to strengthening good relations with all countries that see Russia as a reliable and honest partner. And this is truly the global majority," he told the 2,600 or so guests gathered in the hall.

"We do not refuse dialogue with Western states," he continued. "The choice is theirs: Do they intend to continue trying to restrain the development of Russia, continue the policy of aggression, continuous pressure on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace?"

Putin "obviously values the China relationship above all and the Chinese seem to be tilting toward Russia now more than ever before," said Donald Jensen, a senior adviser for Russia and Europe at the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace.

Beijing played a crucial role in the early days of the conflict by providing a destination for Russian oil and gas after Western sanctions closed off markets in Europe and much of the rest of the world, giving Russia time to put its economy on a proper footing. While China has refrained from supplying weapons and ammunition, it does provide crucial microelectronic components and other items -- from routers to ball bearings -- that the U.S. says can be used to support Russia's effort. Putin has said he plans to visit China this month, when he and Xi are expected to strengthen their political and economic ties, countering what they have said are U.S. attempts to dominate the world order.

This week Xi is visiting Europe, where, among other things, he will stop in Serbia to mark the 25th anniversary of NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, which killed three people and badly rattled China-U.S. relations. The U.S. apologized for the bombing, which it blamed on outdated maps, but China has persistently used the incident as an argument against NATO's expansion and widening reach.

The Chinese leader is also traveling to Hungary to meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has forged close economic ties with Beijing and has consistently pushed back against EU initiatives to help Ukraine.

"China is a lifeline" for Russia, said Leon Aron, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. But while there is "no love for Iran or North Korea," Putin needs those countries, too, he added.

Besides its drones, Iran might soon send ballistic missiles to Moscow, U.S. officials have warned. After North Korea provided materiel, Russia blocked the United Nations from monitoring international sanctions against Pyongyang. Washington and its allies have said they believe Moscow's move is aimed at preventing scrutiny of the growing arms pipeline between Pyongyang and Moscow, a claim Russian officials have dismissed.

"What you have is those four countries forming, indeed, an axis," Jensen said. "It's a partnership of convenience, and it serves Moscow's interests at the moment to keep them more or less together, despite their differences."

Putin also plans to hold talks with the leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau after the inauguration, in another indication of his focus on deepening Russia's overseas relationships."

Ukraine shows that the leadership of the West is pretty isolated and vulnerable in today's world. How did this happen?

1. World News: Putin Doubles Down on Ukraine --- Leader looks to firm Russia's ties to China, Iran, North Korea -- and get more aid. Simmons, Ann M.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 08 May 2024: A.7.